As is known, firearm cartridges may comprise a bullet, or a plurality of bullets, such as pellets, which are associated to a case that defines a combustion chamber containing gunpowder and a primer that, once actuated, ignites the gunpowder, whose burning triggers the expulsion of the bullet. Generally, the case is closed at one end by means of a base or head; the primer is inserted in the head, in a specific cavity having a hole, named flash hole, which communicates with the combustion chamber. The flame produced by the activation of the primer passes through the flash hole and initiates the combustion of the gunpowder.
Depending on the type and dimensions of the firearm in which they are used, the cartridges, and more specifically the cases, have different calibers, i.e. different diameters.
In the field of sporting or hunting weapons, some users recharge the cartridges used. The cartridge must be deprimed by removing the primer from the head of the case to perform this operation. The case is then recalibrated, equipped with a new primer and recharged with the gunpowder. Then, a new bullet is assembled.
The depriming operation is carried out by means of manual tools, such as pliers, in which the case is positioned, equipped with a pin element mounted on a relative support and pushed inside the flash hole so as to push the primer outside of the cavity of the head. Such depriming devices, also referred to as deprimers, are however manual and require rather long depriming times as each cartridge has to be positioned, deprimed and then removed before proceeding with the next depriming; moreover, such devices must be equipped with pin-holder supports of different dimensions depending on the caliber of the cartridge to be deprimed.
Thus, they are not suitable for depriming quantities of cases in series and in little time.